Mattel, Inc, the American multinational toy manufacturing company is now embracing open innovation in a big way. Engineers, inventors and indeed anyone with a great idea for a toy can now submit it to the company’s online portal.
Previously, if you wanted to submit an idea to Mattel, you needed to be already established in the field or be represented by a toy broker. But those restrictions have fallen away. Now the company’s doors are wide open to external input.
The move to open innovation follows a sales dip over the last three years, and to boost revenue and profits, Mattel wants to focus on its innovation pipeline.
In an interview with Fortune, Mattel CEO Margo Georgiadis said: “It is time to reinvent this company because of where the world is headed.”
Currently, the time it takes to turn a concept into a product that sits on a shelf is around 18 months. The aim now is to make that period much shorter, to around six to nine months.
Submitting Ideas
If you want to submit an idea to the My Mattel Ideas portal you have to be 18 years or older and read and sign the submission agreement. Once this is done, you will be taken to a page that among other things asks you for the product name, a short description and a video showing or describing how the toy works. Other questions are:
What make this product different/great?
Do you consider your product a toy, game or baby gear item?
Does any other party have any right or ownership interest in your idea?
For more details and to submit an idea, click here for Mattel’s open innovation portal.